


let me care (about you)

by blacksbear



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: No Incest, a small glimpse of what diego and klaus deserved, consent is important, diego can be a soft boy, mentions of drugs and overdose, mentions of sexual violence (non-graphic)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:21:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25665049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacksbear/pseuds/blacksbear
Summary: S2 spoilers !!!...Diego barely has time to react to Klaus being in his vicinity again, when a familiar worry sets off in his chest.He still can’t deny that he has missed his brother.(Set in the elevator, back from the stressful, light supper, and while Diego talks to Ben)
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 17
Kudos: 420





	let me care (about you)

“Is everything alright, Klaus?” 

The man in question looks up at Diego from the floor, a shaky hand coming to tug at the roots of his shaggy hair. “Yeah, just _peachy_ over here.”

Everyone else in the elevator rolls their eyes, unaffected by their brother’s usual behaviour, but Diego knows that whatever the fuck happened at the table was different from an overdose. 

—from what he has seen happen before his own eyes in the past.

A pang of regret that he would rather _ignore_ builds in the confines of his heart, all over a question that he hasn’t even asked yet but—but at this point, it’s normal because it’s _Klaus_.

It _still_ feels wrong to ask. “How long have you been clean?”

Five scoffs, muttering, “Who says he has been clean?” but Diego ignores him, staring down at his brother until the man crumbles under his gaze and sighs loudly.

“Three years. Before I even got here.”

Allison looks surprised, blinking continuously as she tilts her head. “But at home, when I found you drinking—?”

Klaus struggles to even give a shrug, and Diego’s mind flashes back to how his body used to be even _thinner_. “That was just the end of my _sobriety_. Dave . . .” he clears his throat and shakes his head softly. “D’you think old _Reggie_ will choose not to adopt me, now?”

Someone by his side says, “I hope so,” but Diego ignores the harsh answer to focus on the name that he’s sure he has heard before.

. . . Dave?

* * *

“What do you mean you can _possess_ him now?” 

Klaus—no, _Ben_ , his dead brother who Diego had made sure that it was truly him, speaks again, “Well, I just went through his body, but I _am_ struggling a little to stay in here—“

Diego’s heart stutters, and his throat clogs up with indecipherable emotions. He’s happy to talk to Ben again, but—but he can’t just forget the true implications of what his words mean. 

He can’t forget what he has heard about Klaus from Eudora. 

“Ben . . .” he begins softly, bringing his hands up to cup his - _but not really his -_ face, and something akin to worry sparks in his chest when Ben stumbles and punches Klaus’s stomach, seemingly trying to remain in the man’s body. “Did Klaus _agree_ to this?”

Dark brows furrow and green eyes peer at him, oblivious to the tinge of panic in his tone. He merely shrugs. “I mean—he had a few rules before he agreed.”

Diego thinks back to how he had found Klaus—no, no, _Ben_ on top of dirt with a woman straddling him, and a hot pool of anger soars like fire beneath the guilt for being mad at his _dead_ brother - someone he hasn’t talked to in _years_. 

But _Klaus_ . . . he was the same man who had been repeatedly called to the station due to bruises all over his body - for far many times than Diego ever wished to learn about, let alone _see_.

Or the time where he had to practically run past other officers to fight a man off his brother’s limp body, still high and unaware of what was happening to him in a dark alley. 

And while Klaus may have denied his offer to help back then, it doesn’t mean that Diego can’t help _now_ —now that _Ben_ is totally unaware of how he is _**violating**_ their brother’s space. 

“I—I’m happy to s-see you, Ben,” he goes for strong but comes off fucking terrified with his stutter, but he doesn’t stop because Diego can _see_ Klaus begging to have his body back right in front of him. “But you need to leave his body.”

Ben stops pushing Klaus down and stares at him, an obvious flicker of hurt in his eyes. “ _Why?”_ he asks, and Diego begins to wonder if they had had been right in believing that Klaus had just made up a lie about Ben accompanying him since his death.

How else can Ben not know why he needs to leave Klaus’s body?

“You’re going against his consent,” he states gently but also firm, resolute with making sure that Klaus can also hear him. Although they haven’t had much time for each other in the past days—or even _years_ , Diego hopes that Klaus still knows that he will always have his back, no matter what.

Because as much as he loves all of his siblings, Klaus will _**always**_ reside in the soft corner of Diego’s heart; one that won’t disappear - not even in the 60’s.

“But Klaus constantly has sex—“

“That is in _his_ control!” Diego snaps, not regretfully, because _how fucking hard can the concept of consent be?_ “He has been saying _no_ to you by trying to kick you off his body. Both of us know you were going to have sex with that woman—who, by the way, thought you were _Klaus_.”

Ben backs away with a few, shaky steps, his eyes dropping to the ground. “I—“ he begins in such a soft whisper that Diego barely catches it, “I didn’t think he would care about that.”

“You _have_ been by his side, all these years, right?” The skeptical question tumbles out of his mouth before he can bite his tongue and hold it back, but apparently, it _was_ necessary because _finally,_ a mixture of realization and regret dawns on his features and Ben’s face crumbles, devastatingly sad.

“ _Fuck_.” 

And then, the man in front of him proceeds to fall to the ground and throw up all over the pavement, shaking uncontrollably as he tries to sit up on his knees. 

It takes two beats of his heart to finally start moving and crouch down to embrace Klaus, who’s muttering frantically about rules and _‘no touchy-touchy down there’_.

Diego continues to stroke his back soothingly, and he can almost hear Five’s voice in the back of his mind, telling him to hurry the fuck up with the pukebag, but _no_. He has all the time to care for his brother, who just seems _so_ pale as Diego pulls him away slightly.

Like the time they were kicked out of the bar by the veterans of war.

“Thank you, brother dear, for understanding a concept _someone_ refused to,” Klays says airily in his usual, offhanded tone, but there’s a tremble in his voice and he seems to be glowering in a certain direction. 

Diego swallows thickly, uncomfortable with the rush of great relief that tugs at his heart, knowing that _he_ is behind the warm gratitude in Klaus’s gaze and voice.

Maybe, all these years of fighting for justice and trying to keep the president from dying, made him forget of how _great_ it is to be Klaus’s brother. 

“Anything for you, bro.”

**Author's Note:**

> what do i say? i keep posting word vomits, lol, but i hope that at least, you enjoy! i don’t think i’ll ever stop complaining about the lack of diego & klaus scenes in the new season. even **luther** got more time with the former. what does that even mean?


End file.
